Roztoczanski National Park is located in the central-eastern part of the country, in Lublin Province. It covers the most valuable natural areas of the Central Roztocze. The park was createdony was established in 1974 on an area of 4801 hectares. Its current area is 8483 ha, of which forests occupy 8102 ha. Strict protection covers 806 ha. The park was established on the territory of the State Forests of the Kosobudy and Zwierzyniec Forest Districts, which were previously forests of the Zamojska Ordynacja. The beginnings of the protection date back to 1934, when the Beech Mountain Reserve was established, which is now one of the park's strict protection areas. In 1938, an ordinance on the protection of birds of prey in the Ordynacja area was issued for the first time. Geology, geomorphology and soils The park is located in the varied landscape of the Central Roztocze in the upper Wieprz River valley. It is an area separating the Lublin Upland from the Sandomierz Basin with a diverse geological structure. The hump of the Roztocze is built up by Upper Cretaceous rocks (ophiolites, geyses and marls). Tertiary formations occur in the edge zone. Quaternary formations thinly cover the Wieprz River Valley and the Zwierzyniec River Paddle. The main types of relief are topsoil flattening, spurs, edges, paddies and valleys. The soil cover is varied. In the northern part of the park, the dominant soils are leached brown soils made of gez and opok. In the rest of the area there is more variety, with the largest area occupied by sandy podzolic soils proper. Water The main watercourse of the Central Roztocze and the park is the Wieprz River. In the section flowing through the park, it is classified as Class II. Streams originate from the park area: Szum (2.5 km) and Świerszcz (7.5 km) that discharge their waters into the Tanew and Wieprz rivers. The waters of the Swierszcz stream feed the Echo pond complex and the pond in the center of Zwierzyniec Vegetation The vascular flora of the Park has about 750 species, including numerous mountain species (including the beaked toad, crow's-foot fork, reticulated garlic), northern species (northern winterberry, peat swamp, low birch), Pontic species (European pluskawica) and Atlantic species (intermediate sundew, peat fork, etc.). There are about 400 monumental trees in the park. The park has 21 forest complexes and a number of lower-ranking communities, the most valuable of which are the upland fir forest and Carpathian beech which occupy about 45% of the forest area. Fir trees in them reach the highest dimensions in Poland (50 m in height, 470 cm in circumference and up to 20 m3 in tree mass). Among others noteworthy are light oak, subcontinental oak-hornbeam, ash-alder riparian, continental raised bog, currant alder, and various types of pine forests. Non-forest vegetation consists of 28 assemblages and 12 communities. Animals Of the large mammals in the park are deer, roe deer, wild boar, foxes, martens, badgers and wolves. In 1979 beavers were reintroduced and made their home in the Wieprz River valley. In 1982, Polish ponies were brought to the park, which are descendants of the former wild forest horses - tarpans. Small mammals are represented by protected species of insectivores: velvet shrew and small shrew, white-faced toothworm and numerous species of bats. Also living here are the pecker, dormouse, and coot. Of the approximately 190 species of birds found in the park, the most noteworthy are the lesser spotted eagle, the honey buzzard, the black stork, numerous woodpeckers (including the rare white-backed woodpecker), the little and white-throated flycatcher, the blue-bellied pigeon, the wood pigeon and the mountain wagtail. Reptiles are represented by lizards (zwinka, viviparous, and blindworm - quite often of the turquoise variety), adder and grass snake, and the rare pond turtle. Of the amphibians, it is worth mentioning the great crested newt, tree frog, wood frog, ground crest, green toad and fire-bellied toad, as well as the laughing frog. Also of interest is the park's invertebrate fauna, especially the insect world, of which there are more than 2,000 species of beetles alone. Material culture and tourism The park's forest complexes are divided by numerous deeply incised enclaves and semi-enclaves of non-forest land, the total area of which exceeds 600 hectares. These lands, combined with areas occupied by fragments of state and private forests, cause a strong fragmentation of the park's territory and make it much more difficult to carry out effective protection. There are 2 railroads and several highways running through the park. The greatest danger is posed by the Zwierzyniec-Biłgoraj railroad (which is a fragment of the broad-gauge metallurgical and sulfur line), which crosses the park at a length of 1.5 km, and the normal-gauge Zwierzyniec-Jozefów line, whose length in the park area is 5 km. The history of Roztocze and the park area is closely linked to the Zamojska Ordynacja, established in 1589. The material culture of the region is rich. In Zwierzyniec there is a complex of buildings that housed the administration of the Ordynacja. The carefully renovated house of the plenipotentiary (administrator of the Ordynacja) now houses the park's management. Attention is also drawn to the beautifully architecturally integrated block of the Educational and Museum Center, built in 1994. Five hiking trails run through the park: central, edge, partisan, Roztoczanski and A. Wachniewska RPN bypass trail. Five pedestrian cognitive trails and one bicycle route are available for tourists. Areas of the park and adjacent areas were the site of battles of the January Uprising, World War I and World War II, as evidenced by graves in Zwierzyniec and the surrounding area. Ticket prices: normal from - 6 PLN
11.07.2013
